Wheel stop



United States Patent 3,173,380 WHEEL STOP Stanley W. Hayes, WayneTownship, near Richmond,

Wayne County, Ind., assignor to Hayes Track Appliance Company, Richmond,Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Dec. 11, 1962, Ser. N0 243,918 3Claims. (Cl. 104-258) The present invention relates to wheel stops andmay be utilized with wheel stops such as disclosed and claimed in mycopending application Serial No. 168,336, filed January 24, 1962 whichmatured into Patent No. 3,097,611, dated July 16, 1963 and assigned tothe same assignee as the present application.

More particularly, the present invention has for an object the provisionof a new and improved wheel stop having latch means for latching thewheel stop in clamp ing engagement with the rail so that it may not beremoved without unlatching the latch means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedwheel stop having latch means that is readily movable between anunlatched position in which removal of the stop from the rail can beaccomplished and a latched position in which the stop is retained inclamping engagement on the rail.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved latch means for a wheel stop which can be easily and rapidlyinstalled on existing wheel stops to provide the latching feature.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved latch means of the character aforesaid which is simple inconstruction and operation, positive in'latching operation and which issmall in size and low in cost.

In brief, the foregoing and other objects of the present invention areaccomplished by the provision of a new and improved latch means for usewith a wheel stop having a wheel abutment structure adapted to be placedon a rail and rail clamping elements movably mounted on opposite sidesof the structure for movement between rail clamping and releasedpositions. The latch means is manually movable between a latchedposition for preventing the movement of the rail clamping elements fromtheir rail clamping position and an unlatched position wherein the railclamping elements are freely movable to their released position. In itspreferred form, the latching means comprises a generally J-shaped pinhaving its longer leg pivotally received in the abutment structure andhaving a latch block on its shorter leg for insertion into a slot or thelike in which there is movably mounted clamping element control meansand preventing movement of the latter when the block is inserted intothe slot.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of an illustrativeembodiment thereof, in the course of which reference is had to theaccompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wheel stop with latch meansconstructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross section taken along line 22 of FIG, 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, a typical wheel stop utilizing latch meansconstructed in accordance with the present invention is referred to as awhole by the reference numeral 10. The wheel stop is provided with aWheel abutment structure including the vertical plate 12 which isadapted to be positioned on top of a rail 14. The stop includes a thrusttransmitting structure 16 which extends downwardly and outwardly on bothsides of the rail to abut against the side face of a rail tie 18. Whilethe drawings illustrate but a single rail stop, it is to be understoodthat two such stops are generally used, with a stop applied to each ofthe rails.

v The wheel stop also includes rail clamping means 20 each of whichincludes a movably mounted rail head engaging clamping element 22. Theclamping elements are provided with rail engaging surfaces 24 forengaging undersurfaces of the head of rail 14 to slidably hold the stopon the rail in vertical position. The clamping elements 22 are pivotallymounted upon pins or shafts 26 which are mounted in transverselyextending spaced apart brackets 28 secured to the plate 12.

The clamping elements are pivotally movable about the axes of the pins26 between the illustrated rail clamping position and a releasedposition wherein the surfaces 24 thereof swing away from the undersidesof the rail head so that the stop can be removed from the rail.

The clamping elements 22 are held in rail clamping position by wedgemeans 30 which are mounted for vertical movement on the plate 12. Thewedge means include a pair of wedge elements 32 on either side of theplate 12 joined by a crosspiece 34 which passes through a slot 36provided in the abutment plate. When the wedge means are moveddownwardly relative to the plate by gravity or otherwise to the positionshown in FIG. 3, the wedge elements 32 engage surfaces 38 on theclamping elements 22 to hold the latter in their rail clamping position.When the wedge means is moved upwardly relative to the plate, the wedgeelements 32 move out of en gagement with the clamping elements 22 andthe latter swing freely to their released positions free from engagementwith the rail so that the stop can be removed therefrom if desired.

During these upward and downward movements of the wedge means, the wedgecrosspiece 34 moves up and down in the slot 36 helping to guide thewedge means as they move.

In accordance with the present invention, manually operated latch means40 are provided for preventing movement of the rail clamping elementsout of their rail clamping position. The latch means includes agenerally J-shaped pin 42 which extends transevrsely of the plate 12 andhas its longer leg journaled for sliding and pivotal movement relativeto the plate in a hole 44 provided in the plate. The longer leg of thepin is provided at its end with an enlarged head 46 for limiting thesliding movement of the pin in a leftward direction (as viewed in thedrawings) and preventing it from sliding out of the hole 44 in theplate. The shorter leg of pin 42 has a latch block 48 attached to it.

The latch block 48 is dimensioned to fit within the slot 38 of the plateabove the wedge means 30 when the latch means is in its latchingposition, thus to prevent the upward movement of the wedge means so thatthe clamping elements are maintained in their rail clamping position.The latch means is movable from this position to its unlatched positionwherein the latch block 48 is slidably moved out of the slot 38 and canbe pivoted to the position shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and 2. Inthis position, the wedge means is free to move upwardly to free theclamping elements and permit the stop to be removed from the rail. Itshould be noted that the block 48 does not tightly fit within the slotbut is loose enough to allow some upward movement of the wedge meanswithout freeing the wedge means for release of the clamping elementsfrom their rail clamping position.

When the latch means is in unlatched position, the end of the latchblock 48 abuts the left face of the plate preventing the pin fromsliding rightwardly (as viewed in the drawing). When it is desired tolatch the mechanism, the pin 42 is pivoted until the latch block isaligned with the slot 48 and then moved toward the right until the blockis engaged within the Walls of the slot. The block is then secured inthe latched position by placing a cotter pin 50 in the pin 42 to preventleftward movement. If it is desired to prevent unauthorized persons fromunlatching the pin, a padlock or the like could be used instead of thecotter pin.

The latching means of the present invention may also be applied, ifdesired, to previously made stops having means such as the wedge means30 associated therewith for controlling clamping means such as theclamping elements 22.

While the present invention has been described in connection with thedetails of an illustrative embodiment, it should be understood that thedetails thereof are not intended to be limitative of the inventionexcept insofar as set forth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. A wheel stop for installation upon a rail, including in combination,wheel abutment means adapted to be placed on the rail including anabutment structure extending above said rail and having a slot therein,means including rail clamping elements movably mounted on opposite sidesof said abutment means for movement between rail clamping and releasedpositions, wedge means movably mounted on said abutment structure andengageable with said clamping elements, said wedge means including amember extending into and slidable in said slot in said abutmentstructure, and latch means movably mounted on said abutment structurefor movement between a latched position wherein said latch means extendsinto said slot for preventing movement of said wedge means out ofengagement with said clamping members and an unlatched position wherinsaid latch means is removed from said slot for permitting movement ofsaid wedge means out of engagement with said clamping members to permitthe latter to move to their released position, said latch meansincluding a pin transversely journaled for sliding and pivotal movementrelative to said abutment structure and a latch block at one end thereofmovable into said slot in the latched position and removable therefromupon sliding and pivotal movement of said pin to the unlatched position.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein stop means are provided forlimiting the sliding movement of said pin relative to said abutmentstructure.

3. A wheel stop for installation upon a rail comprising an abutmentplate adapted to be held on a rail, said abutment plate including avertically disposed slot therein and a hole spaced to one side of saidslot, rail clamping means, control means for said rail clamping meansincluding a member extending through said slot, said rail clamping meansbeing movable between a clamping position wherein said member is spacedbelow the top of said slot and a released position wherein said memberis raised toward the top of said slot, and latching means formaintaining said clamping means in its rail clamping position, saidlatching means including a latch block adapted to be inserted into thespace in said slot above the rail clamping means, said latching meansadditionally including a generally J-shaped pin having a long legextending through said hole and a short leg affixed to said latch block,said long leg serving as a handle for the manipulation of said latchblock.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,473,817 11/23Gorsline.

2,204,328 6/40 Swanson --377 2,652,787 9/53 Keleher 105-377 2,963,99212/60 Schroeder l05369 3,043,238 7/62 Hayes 104258 3,094,945 6/63 Hayes104259 3,097,611 7/63 Hayes 104258 LEO QUACKENBUSH, Primary Examiner.

1. A WHEEL STOP FOR INSTALLATION UPON A RAIL, INCLUDING IN COMBINATION,WHEEL ABUTMENT MEANS ADAPTED TO BE PLACED ON THE RAIL INCLUDING ANABUTMENT STRUCTURE EXTENDING ABOVE SAID RAIL AND HAVING A SLOT THEREIN,MEANS INCLUDING RAIL CLAMPING ELEMENTS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON OPPOSITE SIDESOF SAID ABUTMENT MEANS FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN RAIL CLAMPING AND RELEASEDPOSITIONS, WEDGE MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ABUTMENT STRUCTURE ANDENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CLAMPING ELEMENTS, SAID WEDGE MEANS INCLUDING AMEMBER EXTENDING INTO AND SLIDABLE IN SAID SLOT IN SAID ABUTMENTSTRUCTURE, AND LATCH MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ABUTMENT STRUCTUREFOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A LATCHED POSITION WHEREIN SAID LATCH MEANS EXTENDSINTO SAID SLOT FOR PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF SAID WEDGE MEANS OUT OFENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CLAMPING MEMBERS AND AN UNLATCHED POSITION WHEREINSAID LATCH MEANS IS REMOVED FROM SAID SLOT FOR PERMITTING MOVEMENT OFSAID WEDGE MEANS OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CLAMPING MEMBERS TO PERMITTHE LATTER TO MOVE TO THEIR RELEASED POSITION, SAID LATCH MEANSINCLUDING A PIN TRANSVERSELY JOURNALED FOR SLIDING AND PIVOTAL MOVEMENTRELATIVE TO SAID ABUTMENT STRUCTURE AND A LATCH BLOCK AT ONE END THEREOFMOVABLE INTO SAID SLOT IN THE LATCHED POSITION AND REMOVABLE THEREFROMUPON SLIDING AND PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PIN TO THE UNLATCH POSITION.